The Martian in 2015 Reading Challenge [Closed]

Feb 15, 2014 Jessica rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction

I'd heard great things about this book, so I was quite excited to get to read it. My conclusion? It's going to be a great movie, but as a book it is held back by some of the author's choices.

I knew going into the book that it was humorous, so I wasn't expecting a suspense filled experience. But I have to say, the narrator's journal entries stretched believability. We know little about him - nothing about his past or his relationships with anyone outside of his parents and crewmates. His journal ...more

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Jan 06, 2015 SibylM rated it it was ok

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction

Well, two and a half stars, really. I love the idea for this book, and I was pulling for Watney all the way. But after a while I got disaster fatigue. What horrible thing will happen to him next and how will he MacGuyver his way out of it? And there's a reason I never watched MacGuyver - that's just not interesting to me. Plus, he was a bit of a Gary Stu with his phenomenal ability to escape every catastrophe and endlessly plucky attitude. This book seemed like it was more about the science than ...more

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Oct 08, 2015 Tanya rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: format-audiobook, 2015

This was a fun listen as an audiobook. Not sure I would have picked it up to read, except that I got into a conversation with my daughter's teacher and he was searching for an audio version before heading out to see the movie. I felt that the humor provided a nice balance with the technical information. I am amazed at how the rescue plan can continue to evolve and how much MacGuyvering can occur if one is nerdy enough to have have that much relevant technical information. Some ideas and even phr ...more

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Apr 27, 2014 KWinks rated it really liked it

I loved this, couldn't put it down. It was funny because my Kindle kept dying while I was reading it, so every time Mark was having power problems-I kind of was too. I've read what other people are saying about this, that it's Macguyver on Mars, and I do agree. That's not a bad thing! I wasn't bothered by the lack of emotion from Mark, I got a general idea of his personality from his "log" reports and emotion probably would have bogged this story down. It does have a ton of tension, and I think ...more

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Jun 10, 2015 Lisa rated it it was amazing

For someone who doesn't usually pick science fiction, this is the one to pick. Smart, funny, exciting. Outstanding. Highly recommended. ...more

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Feb 12, 2014 Melyssa rated it liked it

Shelves: bookriot-reading-challenge

I loved the concept of this book, which is sort of like Castaway on Mars. It was nerve-wracking to read, as Mark Watney, an astronaut stranded on Mars, faces more and more danger and bad luck as he tries to stay alive until he can be rescued. Much of the book is written as his space journal, so that makes it possible for the reader not to know for sure if he makes it.

Mark is both a botanist and an engineer, so he has a lot of skills. And the author goes into extensive detail, which was too much ...more

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